Jeff Tobe / Sr. Design Engineer & Manager
Alejandro Cisneros, P.Eng., MSc. / Sr. Design Engineer & Manager
Alejandro is a registered Professional Engineer in the Province of Alberta in Canada, he also holds a MSc degree in Energy and Environment from the University of Calgary, where he currently resides. Alejandro has over 9 years of experience in the energy sector which includes 5 years in the Oil and Gas Industry as Field and Design Engineer plus 4 years in the solar PV Industry. During his tenure in the Oil and Gas Alejandro oversaw designing and manufacturing of training equipment for major oil companies and research institutions around the globe, after that he worked as a Field Engineer in the Canadian oil sands. Alejandro was able to pursue his passion in the renewable industry in the province of Manitoba where he was the lead engineer in charge of designing and installing major solar projects, during this time Alejandro helped shaping the solar industry in Manitoba and his designs were considered the industry standard. Later he brought the same high standards to the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. The experience in those two opposite industries have taught Alejandro the importance of accepting and working with what is currently available, fossil fuels, while being part of the change promoting renewable energy from within. Alejandro also spends his time exploring ways to promote solar energy in Latin America together with likeminded individuals.
In his free time, he enjoys playing soccer, swimming, home improvement or working on hobbies such as metal and/or woodwork. He mainly loves to spend time with his wife Gaby, daughter Amelia and 2 crazy wiener dogs whether is at a park or hiking/biking the beautiful Canadian Rockies.
Vivian Crespo, P.E. / Electrical Engineer
Vivian is a registered Professional Electrical Engineer and a Professional Mechanical Engineer. She has an undergraduate degree from the University of Puerto Rico in Mayagüez, and a master's degree in Energy Engineering from the University of Massachusetts in Lowell. She is also NABCEP-certified and has been in the solar industry since 2006. Before solar, Vivian worked in the defense and aerospace industries, managing the manufacture of test equipment, and analyzing test data for jet engines. However, she found her passion in solar and has gained insight from many experiences: participating in the Solar Decathlon, doing service work in Peru, replacing solar systems, completing her master’s thesis to help the Tohono O’odham community, Habitat for Humanity, and going on to design big and small systems throughout the nation.
In her “free” time, Vivian enjoys spending time with her family, two daughters and her husband. They hike trails and parks and travel to see their extended families. She also loves scrapbooking and yoga.
Ahmed J Abdalla / Design Engineer, EIT
Ahmed is an Engineer-in-Training with a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. He has been in the PV industry since 2017. He started installing and designing residential Solar PV systems with the local solar company in Terre Haute, IN before moving to Texas the following year and working as a lead PV designer. He used that opportunity to improve his technical skills acquiring a NABCEP PV Design Specialist Certification and eventually an Installation Professional Certification. He joined SEI’s design engineering team in 2020, and is currently studying for his electrical PE. When he is not designing PV systems, he can also be found playing soccer or getting choked out in a Jiu Jitsu gym.
Cedric Gamble / Design Engineer
Cedric is a PV System Designer with a diverse background in solar and storage applications. After earning a BS in Environmental Science from Allegheny College in Pennsylvania, Cedric worked as a mountain guide for 7 years throughout the Western US. He got started in the solar industry as an installer during the low snow winter of 2018. Working for a residential and small commercial EPC, Cedric had the opportunity to work on many different projects and with a variety of solar and storage technologies including building off-grid and battery backup systems. Progressing through work positions as an installer, apprentice electrician, construction manager, and design team lead gave Cedric a holistic perspective to system design. Cedric joined SEIPS in the spring of 2022 and is currently pursuing a Master of Engineering in Sustainable Systems Engineering from the University of Wisconsin - Madison. Cedric lives in Salt Lake City with his wife and two four-legged furry friends. In their free time they enjoy climbing, skiing, mountain biking and running in the Wasatch and beyond.
Martin Sanchez / Civil Engineer
Martin Sanchez is a civil engineer with 14 years of construction, transportation, structural, geotechnical, hydrology & hydrodynamics, survey, and environmental engineering project experience. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of New Mexico. He entered the solar industry in 2019 as an Analyst Engineer and has specific experience with commercial solar array design and development in Africa, Australia, Canada, and the United States. Martin joined SEIPS in the spring of 2022. He is passionate about sustainable design and the continuation of renewable energy project development. He is grateful for time spent enjoying family, friends, and the great outdoors.
Phil Horwitch / Civil Engineer
As a Project Manager on the Civil Engineering team, Phil brings 10+ years of experience of Utility, Commercial and Residential Renewable Energy. He has been involved in installing or engineering Renewable Energy in over 30 States with a total system size of over 13 GW including the largest being a 1.25 GW project in Texas. He has a degree from Mary Hardin-Baylor University in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering. In addition to his Engineering Degree, he has received his EIT along with other certifications in multiple computer-aided software. He has been published by Microsoft for a CRM system custom created to bring productivity from over 90 days to less than 30 days. Phil is a dedicated Engineering professional that brings knowledge, technology and expertise to every project that he works on. Phil has both civil and electrical design experience on solar projects.
Jacob Boprie / CAD Technician/Administrator
Jacob has an AAS in Computer Aided Design and Drafting from Baker College of Jackson. He worked for 10 years in mechanical production/fabrication and 5 years in civil engineering, working in traffic design and land development, before joining SEIPS in 2021.
Kyra Holt / Performance Engineer
Kyra is one of the founders of SEIPS and SEIE, and now works as the Senior Technical Advisor of engineering services. She specializes in project management, system design, project feasibility, interconnection, and system modeling. She entered the solar industry full-time in 2008, after completing a PV design and installation course at SEI, and has since managed and created full electrical construction documents for PV systems totaling over 200MW.
Amy Scher / Performance Engineer
Amy found her way to PV in sunny Arizona, as part of an interest in off-grid sustainable living and natural building. She began drafting residential PV systems in 2005, and made an appearance in residential-scale wind power manufacturing as a drafter and document control specialist until 2008, when she moved to California where the PV industry was blossoming. She jumped right in and started designing residential systems, and eventually found herself designing and coordinating multi-megawatt commercial-scale PV projects. She took every opportunity to get out of the office and onto the roof, and in 2011 she became a NABCEP Certified PV Installation Professional. With special interests in large-scale utility interconnections and multi-use land projects (utilizing landfills, parking lots, etc. for PV), she has worked for several industry-leading companies on projects in multiple states. Amy has a deep love of sharing her knowledge and experience through education and is thrilled to be a part of the SEI Curriculum Development team, in addition to her independent PV system design and consulting work. She can also be found playing and teaching fiddle and singing traditional bluegrass and country music in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Keith Hardt, P.E. / Medium Voltage Engineer
Keith is a licensed professional engineer in 38 states and worked in municipal, cooperative and
investor owned electric utility markets since 1982. Keith has +30 years of professional
engineering experience working on a wide range of electrical projects in the United States; with
specific expertise in traditional electric utility distribution and substation design and operations
with specific emphasis on system protection, relay testing and SCADA and telemetry
integration.
Since 2012 Keith has provided engineering and design services for medium voltage and high
voltage interconnected PV systems. Beginning in 2020 he started providing engineering and
design services for utility integrated battery storage systems; paralleling and Microgrid systems
including standalone systems and those integrated with PV systems and prime mover
generation systems.
Keith received his bachelor of science in electrical engineering at North Carolina State
University and was licensed as a professional engineer in North Carolina in 1993. He is a
member of the National Society of Professional Engineers, the Professional Engineers of North
Carolina and a Senior member of the IEEE.
Keith is the child of a military family and lived all over the world during his early childhood
but has lived in coastal North Carolina for most of his life. Keith is married to his wife Crystal
and they have one adult son.
When he is not entertaining friends, fishing or clamming, Keith enjoys spending time with his
family, relaxing on the beach and traveling.
Lucy Hunter, P.E. / Structural Engineer
Lucy brings many years of structural engineering experience all over the country and beyond. Lucy was the Director of Engineering at Technologists, Inc. In Afghanistan from 2010 to 2012. She oversaw the work produced by a group of mechanical, electrical, structural and civil engineers, as well as architects, working on large police and military installation for the U.S. Department of Defense. Much of her structural engineering experience took place in the Sierra-Nevada mountains of California where extreme snow loads and seismic forces dominate the sizing of structural members and connections. Lucy has worked with PV racking manufacturers to develop their systems and she is an expert at permitting PV systems on existing buildings.
When she is not at work, Lucy enjoys being with her family, camping, rafting, traveling and generally enjoying life in the mountains of Colorado.
Brian Mehalic / Technical Advisor
Brian Mehalic is a founder of SEIPS and SEIE, and is a NABCEP Certified PV Installation Professional™ with over 13 years of experience designing, installing, inspecting, and maintaining all types and sizes of systems, ranging from off-grid in the Amazon to commercial rooftop PV and multi-megawatt utility-scale. He is also a frequent contributor to SolarPro and Home Power magazines and an Instructor for Solar Energy International.
Rebekah Hren / Technical Advisor
Rebekah Hren is a founder of SEIPS and SEIE and has been teaching PV installation and design courses for Solar Energy International since 2007. A North Carolina native, her focus is quality control, Code-compliance, commissioning and maintenance for systems of all sizes, with a particular focus on utility-scale arrays. Rebekah is a licensed electrical contractor and NABCEP Certified PV Installation Professional. She frequently writes technical articles for Home Power and SolarPro magazines, and has co-authored several books: A Solar Buyer’s Guide for Home and Office, and The Carbon-Free Home. Rebekah spends a lot of her free time pondering the meaning of the National Electrical Code.
Lena Wilensky / Design Engineer
Lena was inspired to take leave from her high school teaching career to explore the world of renewable energy in 2005. She began her renewable energy career with Solar Energy International (SEI) taking classes, helping construct their PV Lab Yard, and eventually teaching PV classes around the country and on-line. She has written numerous articles for Home Power Magazine, worked as an electrician in Crested Butte and for several solar installers, and is grateful to now own her own business. In addition to her work at Nunatak, she also finds time to design systems across the country from small residential to megawatt sized solar farms with SEI Engineering, as well as help develop curriculum for a solar training center in Haiti with Remote Energy.
David Del Vecchio / Consulting & Inspection Services
David Del Vecchio is a graduate of Georgia Institute of Technology with a Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering. He entered the PV industry in 1998 in North Carolina designing, installing and managing off-grid installations. Since 2005, David has been the President of Solar Seed, Inc. performing design, 3rd party QA and inspections, commissioning, troubleshooting as well as in house training for residential, commercial and utility PV system operations and maintenance personnel. While Senior Engineer at Strata Solar, David was responsible for quality control from equipment specification, engineering drawings, construction through commissioning and O&M on over 250MW. David is a NABCEP Certified PV Installation Professional since 2005 and IREC Certified Master Trainer in PV since 2010. David is also the primary instructor since 2006 for PV courses at the North Carolina Solar Center at NC State University. David started teaching for Solar Energy International in 2008. David Del Vecchio, IREC Certified Master TrainerTM for PV Installation Professional. David Del Vecchio, IREC Certified Master TrainerTM for PV Installation Professional.
Tom Honey / Consulting & Inspection Services
Thomas Honey is a U.S. Navy veteran with over 30 years’ experience in the fields of electrical & electronic technology. He founded Honey Electric Solar, Inc. (HES) in 1994, where under his guidance HES professionally installed and maintained hundreds of Solar Hot Water, Solar Pool Heating, and Photovoltaics systems in PA, NC, and VA. Currently, his focus is to maintain and service existing PV systems, while providing technical guidance to other PV installation companies. At SEI, Tom teaches SEI’s comprehensive curriculum to those who are seeking additional skills as-well-as newly aspiring PV professional. He holds Electrical Contracting Licenses in NC and VA, and is a NABCEP certified PV Installation Professional. As an Adjunct Professor within the North Carolina Community College System he’s taught Introductory and Advanced PV design & installation courses, Commercial Electrical Wiring courses (conduit bending), and ConEd classes about the National Electrical Code.
Kelly Larson / Consulting & Inspection Services
"Solar Kelly" Larson operates a renewable energy design, installation and repair service in Northern Mendocino County, CA. She is an electrical engineer, and an Electrical Contractor, (CA license # 868189). Kelly spent seven years with Alternative Energy Engineering, (now AEE Solar), as a staff engineer, has taught solar and electricity classes since 1996. She is an IREC certified Master Trainer, and delights in simplifying complex concepts for her students.
Kris Sutton / Technical Advisor
Kris Sutton is a founder of SEIPS and SEIE and has worked full-time in the PV industry since 1999. Kris was a NABCEP Certified Installation Professional™. He regularly teaches technical trainings on the design, installation of photovoltaic systems–both commercial and residential, with a heavy emphasis on safety. He has been employed as an installer, project manager, and owned his own solar consulting business working with utilities, architects, engineers, general contractors, building departments, and homeowners through all phases of the PV design and installation process. Kris serves as Solar Energy International’s Instructor-Trainer and helps develop curriculum. NABCEP Certified Solar PV Installer.
Tammy Blanchette / Human Resources Administrator
While new to the solar energy industry, Tammy has an extensive Human Resources background in several fields including motorsports, financial services, healthcare, and state government. She is very excited to learn more about mitigating climate change through renewable energy. Tammy was born in Arizona (where it’s very hot) but grew up in the northeast of England (where it’s very cold) and loves to travel. She also enjoys camping and exploring nature with her husband and two dogs. Her hobbies include repurposing items into usable art.
Karo Fernandez / Consulting & Inspection Services
Karo Fernández is a Mechanical Engineer from Universidad de Costa Rica, and has been working in the PV industry since 2009, starting as a PV project manager for Costa Rica´s Utility. Since then she has worked in regional PV market and industry development for Latin America, development of functioning business models for RE in developing countries, energy efficiency projects, PV project design, inspection and commissioning at residential and industrial levels. She currently also consults as a technical trainer for SEI, as well as in curriculum development and translations for the SEI´s Spanish Program. Karo is based out of Madrid, Spain, and consults for companies in Central and North America.
Danny Bailey / Inspection Services
Danny Bailey is one of the newest members of the SEI team. He is part of the PV Technical staff and helps manage and maintain the lab facility. His work also entails logistics for mobile labs, assisting in facilitating labs at SEI, and just trying to make everything run smooth! Danny is a local to Paonia, CO, where SEI's lab yard is located, and has lived in the area for over 20 years. He has a construction background which he began to develop in high school. He has worked in the majority of the trades (electrical, painting, carpentry, metalworking etc.) for varying lengths of time. Danny is passionate about learning and truly enjoys sharing his knowledge and skills with anyone else who is interested. He was first introduced to renewable energy in 2003, and finished his last course at SEI in 2007. He has worked off and on in the PV industry since 2007 and is thrilled to be working at SEI! He is also an avid organic gardener and enjoys; hiking, skateboarding, mountain biking and just getting out there!
Garrison Riegel / Inspection Services
Garrison Riegel began installing solar systems in 2005 while completing an internship requirement for a degree in Environmental Studies. This first experience with harvesting the sun’s energy sparked an interest that has resulted in a career in renewable and distributed generation. Garrison has worked primarily in the Chicago area where he has designed and installed a range of systems from small residential to some of the largest projects in Illinois, lectured on code compliance for the International Association of Electrical Inspectors, taught solar design and installation as an adjunct instructor for Green Mountain College in Vermont, and held an executive position at the start-up solar distribution company, Sun-Way Solar. Currently Garrison works at Solar Service, Inc. in Niles, IL where he oversees operations of the PV department, including site assessment, system design, equipment procurement, and system integration. During his career Garrison has worked on hundreds of solar PV and thermal systems, and has earned NABCEP certifications as both a solar thermal and a photovoltaic installer. When not installing solar, Garrison enjoys building and riding bicycles and trying to brew the perfect cup of coffee.